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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29222556">The Red Angels, Very Confrontational</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeletedBecauseShy/pseuds/Magical-Robins'>Magical-Robins (DeletedBecauseShy)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Red Angels [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, DCU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Angst, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Hurt Jason Todd, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Tim Drake is Robin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:49:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,491</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29222556</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeletedBecauseShy/pseuds/Magical-Robins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>—<br/>It takes meeting Kaitlyn and William for Jason to really begin to understand how Bruce must’ve felt when they first met. The rough around the edges man taking in a kid from the streets, he gets it now. </p><p>But, he can’t help but to think how much trouble he has brought into the two kid’s lives just by existing. Bruce and Tim are on their tails now, it’s only a matter of time before they’re all caught.<br/>—</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jason Todd &amp; Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake &amp; Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake &amp; Jason Todd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Red Angels [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097645</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>—<br/>“Robin, I thought you said they were here.” Bruce’s voice is deep and gravely in Tim’s ear; it’s threatening. They were here, he wants to say, I saw them here. </p><p>“It looks like they left. I can try and track them down if you give me a minute.” He starts up the computer in his gauntlet to avoid looking at the older man. His eyes are trained on the screen in front of him. The satisfying (for Tim, at least) sound of fake keyboard clicks fill the room. “Alright,” he thinks aloud. “I think I got them pinned down from some traffic cams, should give us the general area.” </p><p>On the screen, red dots mark where his facial recognition program had spotted matches in the last hour and a half. From there, he constructs the route they likely took based on the relative times of each spotting. One location in particular sticks out to him. It’s probably because it’s the same building that Jason had brought him to after kidnapping him, probably. </p><p>Sharing his discovery aloud only gets him a single grunt in reward before Bruce is preparing to leave once again. Quickly, Tim texts the address to Dick before following his mentor outside. </p><p>—<br/>“He broke my camera, Jay! Look at this, it’s broke!” Will huffs out a breath in anger between each thought. “He had no right! I live there!” </p><p>“We live there.” Kaitlyn adds unhelpfully. </p><p>“We did, yeah.” Will starts again. “But now we’re stuck in an office until the goddamn Batman gets bored and moves onto something else!” </p><p>Jason can’t bring himself to comment. Will is right, they are deadlocked. Bruce will find them eventually and then it’ll get worse and worse like it always does. There’s a thought in the back of his mind, one that he avoids and pretends not to notice. If he had stayed dead, Kate and Will wouldn’t be in danger. Now and then he realises it for the first time all over again, and it’s always true. </p><p>—<br/>Bruce knows what he’s about to get himself into, what confronting Jason once again will mean. Anger, blame, memories. </p><p>It wasn’t Jason, he tried to convince himself, The Pit must have changed something within him. </p><p>He can still remember the sinking feeling low in his chest when Tim finally admitted what Jason had shown him, his eyes. An unnaturally bright green, Lazarus Green. Jason had the Demon’s eyes now. He refused to believe that Jason was of sound mind after everything that had happened to him. </p><p>Because if Jason was sane, Bruce would have to finally admit to himself that he had filed his son. He wouldn’t be able to run from the through any longer. </p><p>—<br/>For Tim, the rush of air on one’s face while swinging on a line was one of the most relaxing feelings. It was the freedom of flying and the knowledge that he was using it to help others. </p><p>He was Robin now. </p><p>He still couldn’t believe it, even it had been almost four years since he first knocked on Bruce’s door with his hands and backpack filled with the pictures and realisations that had led him to his great discovery. </p><p>He had been a scrawny thirteen year old back then, pampered and scar-free since his birth. It hadn’t been his parents doing, no, but he had had a good life up until then. It was nice to remember those times. </p><p>Things were different now; everything had changed since then. He had started training, filling out his thin form over the first few months with Bruce. His parents... even if he hadn’t liked, or even known, them, the loss still hurt. But, Bruce had adopted him afterwards. </p><p>The man was gruff and stubborn in his ways, always silently thinking and judging from the side. Dick said he hadn’t always been like that. </p><p>The first Robin would talk about how much happier Bruce had been before Jason died. The man was almost carefree for a time.</p><p>Back at the Manor, lining the hallways, pictures of Jason and Bruce smiling in front of an array of famous sightseeing locations and local attractions. The younger always seemed to light up the frame. </p><p>Tim could tell just how much of a toll Jason’s death had taken on Bruce, it was obvious in every action he made. </p><p>—<br/>Jason looked around the room almost cautiously. They were doomed now, Tim had ratted them out. But, maybe they weren’t all condemned to an inescapable cell deep in the asylum. </p><p>Jason was, that was unavoidable, but he could still save the two kids sitting near him. They shouldn’t, wouldn’t, suffer for his mistakes. </p><p>“Leave now. Don’t come back.”</p><p>—<br/>Kate was leaned against the wall atop her makeshift bed when Jason finally spoke up.  “Leave now. Don’t come back.” Yeah, like hell. </p><p>She set the half-empty carton of noodles down beside her before getting up and stomping towards Jason. </p><p>—<br/>Jason’s voice was loud against the subtly noise of movement that Will’s ears had become accustomed to during the long silence. “Leave now. Don’t come back.” Absolutely not. If they left, he didn’t stand a chance. </p><p>His eyes flicked upward to watch Kate walk toward him aggressively, pointing at him accusingly before she even began to speak aloud. </p><p>—<br/>“Absolutely not, you selfless bastard!” Kate screamed at Jason with unbridled rage. “I may not be as smart as Will but even I can see what you're trying to do! You think that you can take all the blame so that me and him can get off scot-free! Well newsflash, asshole, it’s pretty damn obvious!” He didn’t flinch away from her, not even when she was close enough to touch and still yelling like he was across the entire room. </p><p>Jason knew that he deserved every word, every criticism and complaint. Kate, the girl that he had begun almost begun to see as a daughter. They had been working together for over three years, they were all but family, and still, everything she said was completely right. </p><p>He was trying to get them to leave, to get as far away from him as possible. If they weren’t going to listen, he would make them leave. The people around him got hurt, it was a fact. He wouldn’t let either of them add to his list of regrets and mistakes. Not as names to avenge or as family to forget. </p><p>—<br/>William couldn’t help but add onto Kate’s argument. He couldn’t help but to try and convince Jason that they were right. </p><p>“I’m not leaving either. I can see that you’re just trying to protect us but we aren’t these little glass ornaments that you can tuck away under foam and wood to protect. You need our help, Jay, and you know that. You know that shooing is away is the same as signing over your life to Batman and Robin. Well, I’d like to see you try! I’m not moving.” </p><p>—<br/>Will’s speech didn’t hurt Jason any less than Kate’s had. It didn’t change his mind, either. They had to leave, and soon. </p><p>He hadn’t expected to rope anyone else into his strange life after Kate. So, when the two of them ended up with a short, wire-thin boy about a year back, he was quite surprised. </p><p>There was enough money squirrelled away for both of them to live comfortably until they could get real jobs. For Will, there would be enough to afford tuition. For Kate, a place deep within the inner city and a nice car. </p><p>It was all he really cared about anymore, keeping them safe and happy. They would survive without him, he had taught them enough to. </p><p>Will no longer came to him for help with basic technology; Kate is likely even stronger than him by then. They had both come so far in the short time he had known them. </p><p>“You two have to leave,” he tried. “I won’t let you be punished for my crimes. Please, for me.” He could see both of them steel their resolution; it was a lost cause. </p><p>His first thought when the bulletproof glass around them shattered suddenly was how much he would give to have them as far away from the situation as possible. When two white lenses stared all three of them down, all he could feel was shame. </p><p>He had failed both of them. The two people that he truly saw as family, as his kids, would be arrested by the only other person he had ever thought of like that, his father, Bruce Wayne, Batman. </p><p>Damn it all to hell.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>—<br/>
The Glass rained down around Tim like a wild storm, running off of his armour with small clinks and chips. Crashing through tempered glass was noticeably different than normal glass. There was no need to shield his face from the onslaught of the small, rounded pebbles. </p><p>Still, the thrill of the chase filled with veins like liquid energy. </p><p>Briefly, he spotted three people snapping their heads up to look at him: a boy even shorter than himself, a tall, muscular girl; and a young man. Will, Kate, and Jason, his mind supplied. </p><p>Immediately, they rushed into different fighting stances, drawing weapons from holsters and sheaths hidden along their bodies. </p><p>Jason had a pistol aimed at his head in a matter of seconds, his arms steady and straight ahead. It was strange to see him without his hood or domino, his eyes seemed to glow brighter than they had before. His hair was curlier now than it had been in the photos. </p><p>Three blades appeared from within William’s pockets only a second later, one in each hand and the third sheathed visibly at his hip. They were lean, sharp drop-point blades with smooth four-finger grips dyed a deep orange colour. His normal gaiter was missing and his glasses were no longer dark tinted. The boy’s dark green eyes narrowed in his direction, silently daring him to attack. </p><p>Lastly, there was Kaitlyn. He knew she didn’t have her own weapon, she was a street fighter. She fought with her fists and whatever heavy object was closest. Sure, she was probably trained in just as many weapons as he was, but she was far more dangerous with just her fists. She brought a tanned hand up to brush the dusty-brown hair off of her face, smirking at him deviously in the process. </p><p>—<br/>
Bruce scanned the room for weapons the second he could; there were four guns heavy guns, two spare throwing knives, a straight-back hunting knife, a hammer, and a lead pipe, all positioned strategically along the walls and scattered on the floor and table. </p><p>The trio had him and Tim outgunned and outmanned. If a true fight did break out, it was tough to tell who would win. </p><p>—<br/>
“Tim,” Jason watched as Kate growled at the young boy. “You traitorous fuck bucket; see I’ll kill you!” He couldn’t help but be a little proud of her choice of words, she was certainly a special kind of person. </p><p>“Kaitlyn Malone, 18. Alias: Knight.” It seemed that the kid had indeed done his research. “Daughter of Rehka el-Nazir and Elijah Malone.” </p><p>—<br/>
Will watched as Tim turned his head toward him with a dangerous and threatening glare. “William Duran, Genesis, 17. Born an illegitimate son to the Duran family in 2005. You were kicked out of the family at 12, you lived on the streets up until Red Hood found you.” He could feel his chest tighten more with each word. It felt weird to have his story laid before him by someone he had never even introduced himself to. “Oh! And blood type is B+“ he continues to add. </p><p>He couldn’t afford to lose focus just because he was scared. Jason and Kate were relying on him now. He may have been knocked out last time, but, it wouldn’t happen again. </p><p>Looking to his side, he could tell Bruce was thinking something similar. But, knowing the man, he had a plan. </p><p>—<br/>
“Jason,” Bruce tries, never truly relaxing his stance, “You can still turn yourself in. None of this is your fault, it was the Pit.” His son laughed loudly in his face. </p><p>—<br/>
The Pit. The fucking Pit. That’s where Bruce decided to place the blame? It’s a pathetic excuse. He can’t help but to laugh at the thought. </p><p>“The Lazarus Pit doesn’t have a goddamn thing to do with anything that’s going on, old man! That shit washed out of my veins months ago. Don’t you think I would’ve noticed when I wasn’t healing from small cuts faster, or lifting five pounds more than I ever had before? No no no no no no, everything I’m doing, I’m doing because I want to.” He can see the man’s face fall ever so slightly under the cowl. “You preach like a dying man about how bad it is to kill; you don’t have any actual experience! There’s litres upon litres of blood on your hands, but, none of it is direct.” He stops to take a breath, sneaking a quick glance at his two lieutenants in the process. “You say you don’t kill but you don’t stop those who do either! I’m helping this city, Bruce, and you’ve seen what happens to the people that get in my way.” </p><p>So many people come to mind, so many lives that Bruce has ruined over an imaginary line he drew in the sand. He said that the act of killing was something Jason would regret, something that would haunt him. Well, Jason sleeps even better knowing that there are one or two fewer creeps wandering around his city. </p><p>“I refuse to cross that line, you know that.” Bull-fucking-shit. The line isn’t where you think it is, he wants to scream, if it even exists at all. </p><p>“Even I have morals. But that’s enough talk about the line. I’ve been meaning to stretch since I woke up, this’ll work just fine.” He is still aimed at Bruce’s chest, just to the left of the insignia (it’s strongest there, after all). </p><p>“If you had any morals left, you would’ve stopped this a long time ago.” Alright, Jason could feel himself begin to get tired. An all-out fight wouldn’t be good, they needed to work together now. He flexes his right hand subtly before bringing his thumb and index finger together. Then, to finish, he cupped the grip of his gun loosely before returning his hands to a normal position. </p><p>Dick doesn’t seem to be arriving anytime soon, it’s likely he returned to Blüdhaven on the first available train. But, his absence means that Jason can finally brush up on his spoken codes. </p><p>—<br/>
Will watches Jason’s hand for any subtle movement. They have all learned to communicate secretly, both silently and out loud. Now, it seemed Jason was using a combination of both. First, some basic signing: a W, to get Will’s attention specifically. Then an O, to tell him to listen for an oral code, and a C, for Cluemaster. </p><p>“The new kid is lacking. He’s still too new. Robins shouldn’t be that vulnerable. Of course, they’re not invincible. Well, not quite.” Alright, it only took a bit for Will to slip right back into the alternative way of thinking. “Keep the advice, by the way. Now, how long are we gonna talk for? I can’t wait much longer. Flash got your tongue or something? Even I still have some words left.” That you do, Will thinks, just enough words to slink through one of the easiest codes to speak. “My thoughts always were more coherent. I guess. So, you ready? Seems like it.” </p><p>—<br/>
Tim hears every word, whether he wants to or now. It hurts. He hadn’t even realised how much he wanted Jason’s approval until the older Robin had taken it from him. </p><p>He had tried to ignore everything that Jason had said, both about Bruce and about him. He wanted to argue that it wasn’t true, that they had been helping people. But, Jason had a point. </p><p>Just how many of their friends and family had people like the Joker hurt? Barbara, Jason, Batman, his entire gang, Quinn, even his fellow villains. </p><p>Would the world really be so much worse if someone finally put him down for good? Jason was evil, murderous, angry, malicious even. But damn It could work his way into your head just to push all of the buttons; he had a point. </p><p>—<br/>
Kate may not be as good at codes as Will had turned out to be but it doesn’t take a genius to decipher Cluemaster’s code once you knew to listen for it. Especially with how slow Jason is talking. </p><p>Throw, knife, miss. </p><p>A distraction at it’s finest. She just hoped that it would buy them the seconds they needed to get the first hot off. </p><p>—<br/>
“Now!” Jason yelled, watching as the orange, metal streak flew past Tim’s ear to land itself in the wall behind him. Will’s aim was impressive. Tim still flicks his chest to the side out of instinct, giving Kate the perfect follow up. </p><p>Chaos breaks out all at once around the room. There’s the sound of a bullet firing before it hits reinforced armour near Bruce and Jason. Three more shots rang out, all of them embedding themselves in the Kevlar compound non-lethally. </p><p>It doesn’t stop the man, doesn’t even stun him. Bruce just keeps walking towards Jason slowly, acting as though it’s something he doesn’t truly want to do. </p><p>—<br/>
Kate rushes forward the second Jason gives the signal, lunging towards Tim as fast as she can. Her hand rushes out to grab the pipe Jason had hidden in the floor weeks prior just for her. </p><p>It’s a heavy, comforting weight in her hands. Plus, it’s a lot more painful than what she could do with just her fists alone. She lifts it up quickly, letting momentum and gravity work while she swings it back down at an angle. It collides with Tim’s ribs roughly, causing an audible crack to scream out from under his skin. </p><p>—<br/>
Tim has to gasp to avoid screaming out in pain. The small noise he does make draws Bruce’s attention like a moth to a flame. Instantly, the man breaks into a sprint towards Jason. </p><p>There are two more consecutive gunshots before Bruce close enough to touch the younger man. His cape swishes ominously after he moves quickly to stand behind him. It’s enough time for Will to do something similar to him. “I’d keep my breathing shallow if I were you.” Warm breath tickles his ear unnervingly. “Who knows, I might twitch.” </p><p>It’s far from the voice he had expected to hear; it’s too... he can’t think of the word. Violent? Playful? Breathy? Insane, he decides. It’s the voice of someone who has killed, maimed. Somehow though, the boy has kept a silver tongue. </p><p>He has to remind himself that the boy pressed against his back is a mod boss, despite his young age and short stature. </p><p>Tim had always assumed danger came with an intimidating, hulking figure and gravely voice, not scrawny limbs and an impish twinge. Piercings, glasses, and freckles had not haunted his nightmares before. Now, he wasn’t sure. </p><p>The boy's eyes though, they were a dark, dangerous green. Not Jason’s unnatural glow, something deeper. </p><p>—<br/>
All Kate can do is watch, see Jason biting his lip and breathing deeply to keep the blade around his throat from piercing flesh. Will is doing the same to Tim in the other corner of the room. </p><p>It reminds her of the hostage situations she would see on TV. Only now both sides have a hostage. </p><p>“I’m not afraid to die Bruce.” Her mentor speaks breathily as to not disturb the Batarang. “Just know that whatever you do to me, Genesis will do to Tim.” </p><p>It’s a stalemate, neither team can act without losing something in the process. At least, that’s what she had thought. She had been so sure of that until Bruce had finally played his cards. </p><p>—<br/>
It’s not how Bruce had planned the night to end, not at all. He hadn’t wanted to glide out of the window with his son’s blood running thick over his gloves. </p><p>Like always, he had attack non-lethally, not that it wouldn’t hurt like hell and cause enough damage to end his son’s career if his team couldn’t get him to a doctor quickly enough. </p><p>Assuming they could even find a good enough doctor that wouldn’t ask too many questions. He didn’t doubt the lieutenants in the slightest; he just knew they couldn’t heal a neck wound well enough to keep someone of their specific talents in business after the fact. </p><p>He preferred to focus on the fact that Tim had gotten out reasonably unharmed. His ribs were almost certainly broken. Luckily, it was nothing Alfred couldn’t fix. </p><p>—<br/>
The whole room seemed to collapse upon Will when he saw blood start to seep from Jason’s neck violently. He was at the man’s side in an instant, content to let Tim retreat with Bruce. </p><p>Behind him, he could hear Kaitlyn stifle a gagging sob ineffectively. He would do the same if he could actually feel his body. It’s fight, flight, or freeze for a reason, apparently. He feels hopeless in the moment, frozen. </p><p>—<br/>
Kate assumes the rough noise comes from her even when she can barely remember her own thoughts from a second ago. Only the image of blood weeping from Jason’s neck fills her mind. </p><p>She had always thought he was invincible; or invulnerable, at the very least. To see him hurt, bleeding, felt wrong, like something she wasn’t supposed to ever actually see. </p><p>There’s a handful of seconds where the room seems stuck in time. It takes a moment for her to be able to approach the body before her. As soon as she does, Will is at her side. </p><p>—<br/>
Jason wants to scream when the two kids press down on the wound. He has to bike his cheek to Keep from further tearing flesh in the process. </p><p>Nothing he does can stop the tears that had long since begun to spill over his eyes. </p><p>By the time the bleeding finally stops, the world around him is blurry and muffled. He can’t make out what they’re saying completely, only a few things actually breach the barrier between his ears and his brain: Doctor, warehouse, and what sounds like a popping noise. He isn’t sure whether he should feel safe or incredibly worried. </p><p>When he tries to blink away the confusion, it gets more and more difficult to open his eyes each time. Eventually, he stops fighting it, trusting the pair standing over him to make the right decision. The stakes weren’t that high, right? </p><p>—<br/>
Tim doesn’t follow Bruce back to the cave after they leave through the window together, he doesn’t trust himself not to say something he would regret later on. Everything Bruce had done had been to protect him, he knew that. </p><p>Still, it was hard not to put himself in Jason’s shoes. The idea of Bruce treating any of his Robins, his sons, like that was unsettling at best and horrifying at worst.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you're interested in Kate and Will, head on over to my Tumblr to learn more about then. Or, to just talk. As always, I hope you continue to enjoy!</p><p>Check out my Batfam side blog as well!<br/><a href="https://being-robin-is-magical.tumblr.com/">A Worm of Robins</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>—<br/>Tim takes a sharp turn as soon and he and Bruce land, opting to separate himself for a bit. </p><p>He’s not mad, per se, just a bit shaken. Seeing Bruce attack Jason like that, he didn’t know how to take it. His mind was abuzz with thoughts and emotions and al<br/>He wanted was silence. He tried, god he tried so hard, to ignore what he was really thinking. </p><p>He couldn’t help but entertain the thought that they were both right, he couldn’t fight the notion. </p><p>He opts to dangle his legs off of the ledge of the building they had landed on. The breeze in his hair was calming. It wasn’t far from where they had all fought; if he squinted, he could probably still see through the shattered windows. </p><p>What he doesn’t need help to notice is the two people struggling along the streets below him. That, he can see all too clearly. A boy, a girl, and a body. </p><p>—<br/>Kate is forced to take the brunt of Jason’s weight while they walk. Will was a genius, quick as a cat. But, lifting was not his strong suit, not even a little. It was something she would have teased him for had the circumstances been different. At the moment, all she can mutter is weak words of praise to keep him on his feet. </p><p>They’re close now, she can see where the metal roofing of the warehouse brushes the warm colours of the sunrise. “Run ahead,” she says, “tell Pops to get ready, that we’re coming.” </p><p>Will is off without a word a second later. She can barely see his lithe form after a moment; she’s alone with Jason. </p><p>—<br/>Will runs faster than the breeze when given the chance. Running had always helped him, it cleared his head. Even now, when he sprinted through the streets with a purpose, it was almost calming. </p><p>He knew that he was more useful like this. His help was pointless when all they really needed was strength. </p><p>Will could hit a target from ten metres away; he could pick a lock in half a minute; he could run a mile in eight minutes; he could hack a computer in fifteen. Will could not carry Jason, not when time was so important. </p><p>But, he could warn Pops and everyone in the warehouse with him to get ready. That, he could do easily. </p><p>—<br/>Tim couldn’t hear what they were saying, not from so high up. All he knew was that there had been a change of plans. Something had sent Will bolting across the street, leaving Jason and Kaitlyn alone in his wake. </p><p>It was something to do with the warehouse, that was for sure. Why they had decided to take Jason there of all places, only time would tell. </p><p>It wasn’t a Red Angels facility, not one they had ever found, at least. It seemed like any other warehouse. </p><p>—<br/>“Pops! It’s an emergency!” Will screamed as soon as the door closed behind him, much to the fright of the dozen or so people already inside. </p><p>He couldn’t help but notice how much the place had changed since he had last been inside. There were more chairs, more beds, even the equipment itself seemed to be cleaner. </p><p>Pops, though, he hadn’t changed a bit. The African man still eyed him with suspicion in his dark eyes. His hair was pulled back roughly, accentuating the light grey stubble that framed his mouth and nose. He clicked his tongue once before motioning for Will to follow him into one of the new, fully closed off, rooms. </p><p>“What ‘appened, kid?” He spoke in the same old, gravelly voice that Will had heard before, rough, southern, accent still noticeable after so many years up north. </p><p>—<br/>The only noise that Kate could focus on was Jason’s shallow breathing beside her. The city’s ambient noise had been filtered out instinctually. </p><p>Instead, she tried to focus on the slow rise and fall of her partner’s chest while she half lifted, half tugged him down the sidewalk. They were close now, it would only be another minute or two. </p><p>—<br/>As soon as Tim saw Kaitlyn slip through the warehouse door safely, he began to plan his own entrance. It would be much more difficult with his suit still on. But, he would manage. Hopefully. </p><p>He refused to be left in the dark about what would happen next. As soon as he knew Jason was safe, he would leave. He swore that much to himself. </p><p>Until then, the guilt weighed down upon him. It was his fault Jason was injured, possibly dying. If he hadn’t given away their address. Or before that, their identities. Even earlier, Jason’s plan at the docks. Hell, Jason’s name had been his idea. All he had to do was make sure Jason was safe, he owed the prior Robin that much. </p><p>—<br/>Kate was swarmed by Pops and Will the second she walked through the door. Instantly, the heavyweight was lifted from her shoulders; she followed them both into the room as they pulled the blinds and locked the door. </p><p>The small room wasn’t completely separate, the walls only went about halfway up the wall, but it was enough. “Alrigh’,” the doctor stated as soon as he was close enough to Jason to see the wound in full, “’s not as bad as it looks, ’s fairly shallow. The only complication is,” he turned to Kate and Will with a worried look. “He’s lost a lot o’ blood.” </p><p>That was fine, she reassured herself, blood was replaceable. Jason would be fine. He might even be waking up soon. No, no. That was a bit too optimistic, even for her. </p><p>—<br/>Tim eventually found a window that wasn’t locked. No surprise, seeing how high he had needed to climb to even touch it. But, when he finally slipped through, it was a nice, high, perch. </p><p>From there, it only took a crawling to position himself above the room that Kaitlyn and William were in. The doctor was there as well, slowly unbuttoning Jason’s blood-soaked shirt. </p><p>It was a whole lot of blood, a very unhealthy amount, Tim guessed. It wasn’t just on Jason either, Kaitlyn’s shirt was soaked through on one side, same with Will’s long sleeves. Looking down, even he had small crimson splatter on the legs of his suit. </p><p>—<br/>Pops looks back at Will expectantly, even before he had even asked the question. “What’s his blood type? I’m fresh out of Oneg so you’ll have to be sure.” Yeah, blood types. That’s a thing. That’s a thing and Jason’s blood type is... his mind blanks. </p><p>“I- I don’t know.” He mutters. He can see Pops bite his lip before trying again. </p><p>“That’s fine,” an obvious lie, “what’s yours? And hers, while we’re at it.” His blood type, it sounds familiar. Like, it’s on the tip of his tongue. Luckily, Kate doesn’t seem to have the same struggle. </p><p>“I’m AB-!” She fakes a smile. </p><p>Blood type, blood type, blood type, Will thinks. Someone had said it... who? Why did it seem so familiar? </p><p>Tim! </p><p>Tim had said it when he was being a smartass earlier! It was, damn it. He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember, yet.  ‘William Duran, Genesis, 17. Born an illegitimate son to the Duran family in 2005. You were kicked out of the family at 12, you lived on the streets up until Red Hood found you.’ He ran through the (one-sided) conversation in his head. Hoping his mind would fill in the rest. ‘Oh! And blood type is B+.’ There! There!</p><p>“I’m B+, sir. ” He thinks about the meme, chucking lighting at the random memory. Well, he would never forget it again. </p><p>“Well, it’s better odds than miss one-in-four over here. Still, how does a fifty/fifty per cent chance sound?” The two kids’ faces fall simultaneously. Those were not good odds. </p><p>—<br/>“Absolutely not!” Kate finds herself yelling before she can even think about it. She refuses to take such bad odds, not when Jason’s life is at stake. “You must have something that will work, right?” She can feel herself slip into something that is uncomfortably begging-like. </p><p>Pops looks at her with a look of silent pity. He puts his arm on hers slowly, kindly, before looking at her eye-to-eye. “Girl, the best odds we have are that boy’s blood. The only thing better would be if we had someone who was a-“ Another voice cuts him off abruptly, it rings out from over their heads. </p><p>—<br/>“A universal donor. O- blood.” Tim lands beside them silently. The second his feet touch the floor he is dodging a punch. He hadn’t expected them to forgive him, he wouldn’t have forgiven himself, but it was a little rude. He puts his hands up in mock surrender. “I only say this because I can help. I just want to make things right, Jason doesn’t deserve to die because of Bruce. So, let me help. I’m a universal donor.” </p><p>It doesn’t stop the looks he gets from both Will and Kate alike. All it really does it get the doctor (Pops? Is that what they’d called him?) to take another step forward before grabbing him by the arm roughly. </p><p>The old man pushes him into the chair beside the bed, displacing Will, before moving towards the small table. Everything after that happens very quickly,  too quickly, maybe. </p><p>He hears the doctor shuffle around for the right tools, wash his hands, and start putting the pieces together. Then, there’s the cold sting of alcohol on his skin and a needle in his arm. </p><p>The room falls silent as they all watch his blood travel through the clear tubes slowly. After less than a minute, it finally comes out the other needle. As soon as it does, the doctor is pressing it through Jason’s skin and securing it with a piece of medical tape. </p><p>“Don’t think we’ve forgiven you, Robin.” Will is still kind enough to no use his name, not that he deserves the kindness. </p><p>“I know, I’m not asking you to.” Pops (Tim thinks that’s his name) doesn’t look at any of them. </p><p>He lets them figure things out among themselves while he finishes hooking up the different monitors around the room. A quiet, steady beeping fills the room when he finally finishes. “It’ll take about an hour and a half.” He says before walking out the door. </p><p>—<br/>“As soon as this is done, I never want to see you again, Tim.” Kate hisses at the younger boy. He doesn’t look her in the eyes after that. </p><p>“I didn’t plan on sticking around; Bruce will want me back soon. I just wanted to make sure Jason was safe, never planned to stay this long.” She chances a look over at Will, smirking as a plan forms in her head. </p><p>“We still have an hour, huh Will. I wonder how we can spend that much time.” It’s nothing mischievous, they can’t risk Tim leaving. The boy does have to pay though, and energy is a great currency. She pops her knuckles intentionally loudly before turning the boy’s eyes to look directly at her. She doesn’t say anything else, doesn’t have to. </p><p>Will knows his cue. It’s something they picked up from living with Jason. They can be absolutely obnoxious. “One hundred cartons-“ They both start at the same time, perfectly synchronised.</p><p>—<br/>Will is happily singing along to the tune for over an hour when they suddenly speed up. He hadn’t even noticed that they had been following the steady beats of the heart monitor until they weren’t in sync with it any more. When it sped up suddenly, they all noticed. </p><p>Kate left to flag down Pops while Will was stuck trying to figure out what was happening. Tim wouldn’t have lied. Right? </p><p>Along with his heart rate, Jason’s breathing began to speed up a second later. The young man closed his eyes tightly out of instinct. His head shifts side to side sharply. </p><p>Kate is back a minute later, Pops in tow. “Is he breathing?” The man asks as soon as the door closes behind him. </p><p>All Will can do is nod along numbly. There’s nothing to do but wait. Wait, wait, wait, while Pops runs test after test and reads result after result back to them. </p><p>—<br/>Pops is sure to keep the two kids updated on everything he is doing. He doesn’t know if it’s because he can still see the weapon’s they’re trying to hide under their clothes or just as a kind gesture. </p><p>Either way, nothing he finds or says seems to be inherently wrong. “It looks to be just your run of the mill panic attack.” They look at him worryingly while remaining unnervingly silent. “His blood pressure is safe, I can go ahead and stop the transfer of you’d like.” That, at least, seems to get more of their attention. </p><p>Immediately, the two bloodstained kids start talking in unison. “Yes, please. You can go ahead and end it right about now. Thank you, sir.” Rings out at the same time as, “Oh thank fuck. If you ever need more of Robin’s blood, I can bring you a bucketful.” Good to know; he starts removing the needles and tubing connecting the two boys quickly. </p><p>As soon as the younger is separated from the contraption, he is back on his feet. When Pops looks back, he’s gone completely, wild. </p><p>Jay had since called down, slightly. The twitching had subsided and his breathing was slower and deeper. He could go back to his other patients. “Alert me if anything else goes haywire.” He walked back out the door slowly. </p><p>—<br/>Kate and Will were quick to huddle around Jason once more as soon as the doctor left. There was a moment of silence before they both moved to lay down around the bed. Kate sat down in the chair with her upper body supported on the bed while the other sat curled up near the foot of the mattress. </p><p>Kate couldn’t tell when she finally dipped into unconsciousness; all she knew was when she woke up, it was from the noise. She had never been a deep sleeper, she couldn’t afford it. Noise meant danger and danger meant you had to be awake. </p><p>So when quiet mumbling filled the room, she was the first to flick her eyes open. She tapped Will awake quickly. </p><p>—<br/>There was a groan when the boy rubbed and opened his eyes. “Wake up! Wake up!” Kate whispers urgently. Taking a second to look around, it was clear what had happened. Jason’s breathing had once again sped up, along with his heart rate. Fingers twitched at his side impatiently, clawing at the sheets. </p><p>Will initially thinks the small noises are incomprehensible nonsense. Until he listens closer, that is. When he does, it all makes sense. </p><p>“Help...”</p><p>“Dad!” </p><p>“-hurts.”</p><p>“Home.” </p><p>After that, Will wants to pretend he had imagined it all. He tries to ignore what he had heard, how shallow and weak his mentor’s voice had been. </p><p>The same man that had grabbed him off the streets and been more of a father that he had ever known wasn’t weak. Even thinking about it felt wrong. Jason was tougher than a goddamn rock. </p><p>Whatever was happening in his mind, it had to have been really bad. It was bad, and there was nothing he and Kate could do to help. “We could try and wake him up.” He suggested. </p><p>“You think it’ll help?” He shrugged in response. “I mean, I guess we can try.” Hearing her sound so defeated was almost as bad as hearing Jason sound so weak. Kate was happy, undefeated. Jason was strong, resilient. </p><p>—<br/>Jason’s mind is a whirlwind of neon green and diluted purple shades. It wills the corners of his brain like mould, infecting everything it touches. </p><p>There's pain blooming wildly across his neck and chest. He hopes the blood that coats his body is someone else’s. Given the pain, that doesn’t seem to be the case. “Help me.” He begs the endless void of colour. </p><p>He can feel flames licking up his sides. “Dad!” He calls into the shadows that are sulking around him. </p><p>“You can still turn yourself in. None of this is your fault.” The whisper back at him. Blood is still pouring from his body. He can’t see any visible wounds. “If you had any morals left, you would’ve stopped this a long time ago.” There’s another flare or pain in his chest. </p><p>“Please, it hurts.” He tries again to gain the shadow’s pity. A featherlight touch tickles the back of his hand, spreading a calm warmth along its path. It’s a nice contrast from the violent cuts and bruises he can feel covering the rest of his body. </p><p>“We don’t need to fight. You can come back with me. We can fix things, together..” Even as it whispers kind words into his ears, he can feel its claws tightening around his throat. </p><p>“I just want to go home.” His eyes swell with tears, threatening to spill. He doesn’t want to be the big bad thing in the story anymore. Causing harm is so tiring, he wants it to all be over. But, he can’t end it, not yet. Green tears are pouring down his face, leaving stinging trails in their wake. </p><p>There is still a rot that plagues the world, plunging its infectious claws into innocent men and women throughout. There are still people that exist only to harm others, people that need to be eradicated. </p><p>He can’t rest, not yet. </p><p>“Son, just come home with me. None of this is your fault. No one else needs to die.” No one else needs to die, what an ignorant idea, a facade of false hope that his father force-feeds everyone around him. </p><p>No one else has to die, how naive. Jason wishes that was true. He had thought that no one else would have to die, after him. He had falsely hoped that his blood would be the last to spill before Bruce finally realised what needed to be done. </p><p>The warm glow spreads out and away from his hand, trailing along his left arm in the same smooth motions. On his right, a similar feeling traces geometric lines along the scarred skin. It’s every so slightly softer, less calloused. They continue to feel lightly across his hands and forearms, coaxing him forward gently. </p><p>The walls around him seem to expand, the colours on them draining away. Unnatural green fades a deeper, more comforting, colour. The bright purple runs almost grey only a few seconds later. “Wake up.” The new voice whispers. “Come on, Jay!” It urges him further. </p><p>—<br/>“Wake up,” Will calls out from the right side of the small bed. His fingers continue to trace shapes into the older man’s skin. </p><p>“Come on, Jay!” Kaitlyn adds from the other side, </p><p>There a handful of seconds where the room stays silent, time stands still. A minute passes, then two. </p><p>Kate still maintains a death grip on his hand. She can’t help but inhale sharply when he squeezes back. It’s barely even noticeable, just tight enough for her to feel. </p><p>His eyes open slowly, casting nearly-invisible shadows of his eyelashes right above his eyes from the faint glow they emit. </p><p>—<br/>Jason looks at the two blurs of colour in front of him, letting them come into focus slowly. “Where am I?” He rasps out. </p><p>A voice to his right, Will, maybe, responds. “You’re at the Clinic. Don’t try to move too quickly; you’ve lost a lot of blood.” He does as he’s told, lifting his chest up over the span of multiple seconds. </p><p>His shirt is gone, there are monitors and wiring running over the bloodstains on his chest. Who’s blood it is, he isn’t sure. It’s probably his, judging from the zigzagging paths it had flown down from his own neck. He reaches a hand up experimentally, drawing it back quickly when his nails touch his throat. </p><p>“Oh, Jay, you’re awake.” Pops walks into the room with a clipboard in hand. “I’m not sure who exactly had it in for ya but they got pretty damn close. If it hadn’t been for that boy, I’d say you’d be halfway to heaven by now.” Who? Had someone else been in the room? Those were questions for later, it seemed. </p><p>He tries to push himself further up onto his elbows, almost swinging his legs over to the side of the bed before the pain stops him. “Jason!” Kate yells when he gasps from the pain. “I thought we established that you can’t be moving anywhere.”!</p><p>“Yeah, the girl’s right, you’re stuck here for the time being. I better not see you getting out of this bed until at least noon.” Jason can see the sunrise out one of the windows, noon wasn’t for a while. When he tried to argue, Pops shushed him. “Tt. These kids worked hard getting you here, you owe it to them to stay. Now rest!” He finished unhooking Jason from the monitors until only an IV was left. After that, he walked back out the same way he had come in. </p><p>“It’s barely five, Jason. Get back to sleep.” Will said; Kate nodded along. </p><p>The boy crawled onto the bed beside him, laying his head down on Jason’s shoulder when he was close enough. To his left, Kaitlyn did something similar, crossing her arms into a makeshift pillow before huddling into his side. </p><p>The whole situation was sticky with blood and sweat, not that any of them could even care. In the moment, it was enough to just know that they were all safe.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>—<br/>It takes seven more hours (5 asleep, 2 not) for Jason to finally get released. Even then, it’s only when he promises not to go into ‘work’ for at least a weak. Plus, Pops lectured them all on the proper way to change their bandages and apply stitches during the short time they had all been awake before the clinic officially opened for the day. </p><p>When the older man finally did let them all leave, he was sure to walk them out. Will thought it was strangely out of character. Until he leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Don’t go getting hurt again. Next time, I might just run out of anaesthetic.” Yeah, that was a lot more in character. </p><p>—<br/>It’s a long walk home for all of them. Even Kate was nearly silent for most of the way. Her energy, it seemed, was spent supporting Jason up the stairs of their apartment building. </p><p>The place was old and she could tell when anyone moved or stepped from anywhere else in the building. But, it was home. </p><p>Will struggled with the key when they finally got to their door, leaning slightly on the doorframe from exhaustion. “No offence, but I don’t want to see either of you again until tomorrow. For now, I’m gonna go collapse on my-“ his voice drops when the door finally opens, “bed...” his voice trails off. </p><p>Inside, the floor is littered with bits of glass like a corrupted version of snow. The main table had been flipped, throwing everything that had been on it to the floor, broken. “God damn it.” She cursed. </p><p>Nothing around them was in one piece; wood was snapped, glass shattered, even their TV had been broken. When Kate walked into her room, it was the same there too. </p><p>Her mattress had been flipped and discarded against the wall with slash marks running in lines on the bottom to reveal the springs. </p><p>The side table and it’s contents are abandoned on the floor beside it. She almost screams when she sees the telltale purple flower design of her favourite cup. The posters are all torn down, her laptop is missing, even her closet had been ransacked. The whole room is chaos. </p><p>There’s a suspiciously soft feeling around her ankle that makes her look down. Crawling up her shoe is webs of discarded stuffing. Stuffing, she realises, that could’ve only come from one thing. She leaps towards the only corner she hadn’t looked through yet, sorting through the junk there impatiently. </p><p>When she can finally see the five distinct shades of red, blue, green, yellow, and purple, she can feel tears well in her eyes. She pulls at the pieces frantically, hoping that she had been wrong about the fluff on the floor. Her hands pull out five deflated-looking husks of the stuffed animals that had been on her bed the prior morning. </p><p>They had been a gift. Now, they’re barely recognisable. She cleaned a small part of the floor to set them down in before turning on her heel sharply. “I’m gonna kill whoever did this.” She half-screamed when she was back in the main room. </p><p>—<br/>Jason stumbled through the hallway to his room. It wasn’t surprising that the destruction seemed to follow the same path. The only difference he could see between his room and the others that he had briefly passed was the amount of glass on the floor. </p><p>His room had always been bare, especially compared to the other two bedrooms in the house. The only decoration he had was a handful of framed photos along the walls. Photos that whoever broke in, Bruce and Tim most likely, thought might be more than one-sided. Crumpled papers littered the floor. </p><p>His closet had been spilt onto the floor; the black fabric flowed like spilt oil. Not a single object had remained unturned during the search. Only one thing didn’t seem to add up. </p><p>When Will had called them over to show them the live footage of Bruce and Tim breaking the window, the only thing they broke had been the camera. He thought at first that they had simply broken it first. But, that wasn’t correct either. </p><p>From their apartment to their office, it was a roughly 15-minute walk, a 20-minute drive with moderate traffic. Bruce and Tim had crashed into the office around half an hour later, an average time considering they would’ve grappled and glided their way over. So, when did they have the time to search the apartment. Unless-</p><p>They would’ve come back after the fight to look for more evidence. Him being at the hospital had been the perfect time, they knew that no one would be home. </p><p>He took a breath to steady himself, unfolding the pictures on the floor and stacking them before he could sweep the glass up. </p><p>There were solo shots and group pictures and selfies, all ruined. He was forced to smooth out pictures of the three of them and some singles only to place them to the side, discarded. </p><p>When he finally left to grab the broom and dustpan, he ran into Kate in the hallway. “I’m gonna kill whoever did this.” She growled. He chuckled slightly, patting her shoulder reassuringly in the process. </p><p>“In due time.” He added before leaving for the small closet. When she was still standing just outside her doorway, he added on to his previous statement. “Don’t forget, I get the finishing blow.” </p><p>—<br/>Will isn’t as surprised as he wanted to be when he finally walks through the door.  Though, it does still spark something within him, a rage. The floor is tiled with shredded paper, his posters, his comics, even pages of the books that Jason had given him as a gift were visible. </p><p>A shattered monitor lays on the floor next to the ceramic shards of his favourite, flash-themed, mug. There was no reason to break that of all things!</p><p>The chipped paint splatters are all too visible now that the walls are bare again. It reminds him of when he had first moved in with Jason and Kaitlyn. It had been just over a year now, so much had changed already. </p><p>He has to really lift to get his deck back up-right. It’s one of the only things that hadn’t been broken when it hit the floor. Metal desk: 1 Batman: 0, he thinks. But, the stained carpet is more important than he had first assumed. </p><p>The coffee that had been in it is no longer cold, nor the ground itself. It had spilt long enough ago that the carpet had heated and absorbed it completely, leaving only a stain behind. He’s no expert, but he has spilt enough coffee to know what it looks like fresh and old. </p><p>The stain on the floor had happened hours ago. Otherwise, the fabric would still be at least somewhat wet. </p><p>Under the desk, his PC box had been ripped open to expose the pieces inside. Pieces that, he couldn’t help but notice, weren’t all there; he hopes that Batman liked Stardew Valley and Minecraft cause that’s all that was on the hard drive. </p><p>At the thought of Batman again, he realises a detail he had missed before. After the man had destroyed the camera in their house, he had been in the office less than an hour later. That would have given him less than ten minutes to cause all the damage; something wasn’t right. </p><p>Just as he’s about to tell Jason his theory, a door slams somewhere else in the house. “I’m gonna kill whoever did this,” Kate speaks from out in the hall. </p><p>“In due time.” He can hear Jason out in the hall with her. There are footsteps before he finally speaks again. “Don’t forget, I get the finishing blow.” At that, Will can’t help but poke his head out the door. </p><p>“Wait. You know who did all this?” By the sound of things, it had been Bruce. But, he wouldn’t have had nearly enough time to cause all of the damage. “Bruce was in and out of here too quickly for it to have been him.” Jason gives him a small look before responding. </p><p>“Was he though? Think, Will. What else could have happened?” It’s something they do often, Jason solves a problem but hides the answer until Will can figure it out for himself. Critical thinking, Jason had said, it improves your ability to solve stuff like this on your own in the future. </p><p>‘What else could have happened’ that line in particular sticks out to him. Bruce had done it. But how and when were the crucial questions. They know when the windows were broken, it had to be after that. They knew Batman had been in the house, then the office, and then-</p><p>“After he left! Bruce came back here!” He thinks out loud. Jason gives him a proud look before continuing his observation. </p><p>“-and Tim. They left together, remember? For all we know, they went back to the manor and everything.” At that, Will perks up. After all, it wasn’t often that the Red Hood of all people was wrong. He clicked his tongue in response. </p><p>“Nope, just Batman. Tim has an alibi. I know that because it’s me. Well, me and Kate. He was at the hospital with you for most of the time.” He smirks up at Jason with a cocky look in his eyes. “As for the time, this happened just after the fight. If it had been more recent, the coffee spill on my carport would still be wet and cold.” Jason responds with a hand in his hair that ruffles the untied mess of black knots even further. </p><p>“Smart kid.” There’s. A proud look in his eyes, one Will wants to remember. </p><p>“What can I say,” The boy responds slyly. “I had a good teacher.” </p><p>“Wait-“ Jason’s eyes widen slightly when he finally realises exactly what Will had said. “Why are you Tim’s alibi?”</p><p>—<br/>Kaitlyn and Will’s faces pale when he finally asks. They hadn’t exactly decided what to tell him. They knew he would ask, sure, just not so soon. </p><p>“He uh-“ she starts. </p><p>“Yeah,” Will adds.</p><p>“Was there. He was there.” Kate continues. </p><p>“At the hospital.” Will finishes. </p><p>“Yeah.” They both say together. “That’s why. Mhmm.” She grins up at Jason sheepishly. </p><p>—<br/>Jason knew they weren’t good liars. But, he can’t say he hadn’t expected a little bit more from them. Especially Will. He had learned long ago that Kate was a lost cause when it came to anything social, she was stubborn in her ways. Will, though, he could still learn. At least, Jason hoped he could. </p><p>For now, he just waited patiently for them to finally tell him the truth. If he has to guess, smart money was on Kate. Will could keep a secret, she could not. </p><p>A minute passes with them all standing in the hall, then two. Finally, Kate begins to twitch more than usual. Her fingers fidget behind her for a second before she finally breaks. </p><p>—<br/>“Alright, alright,” Her shoulders slump in defeat almost comically, “it’s because he was the one that donated blood. Now, in our defence, we didn’t know your blood type and if we messed up it could have literally killed you!” Besides her, Will sighs dramatically before helping her with their, now true, story. </p><p>“He was O-, it was a risk we were willing to take.” He says out loud. After, he continues too quiet for them to hear, “But, boy are we bad at math.” </p><p>—<br/>Jason has to take a deep breath before he can finally say something. Even when he tries, nothing comes out of his mouth. All he can muster is a single, drawn-out ‘damn’ before his face meets his palm. </p><p>There’s a hint of pain ebbing in the back of his throat, something telling him that whatever had seen in that IV was finally wearing off. He struggles down a gulp before finally looking up at the two kids in front of him. “I’m not even mad,” he starts, “it was a good choice, and I’m not only saying that because it was my life on the line. Next time, not that they’ll be one, just know the blood types of everyone in your team.” In his mind, he tries to remember what Bruce had taught him about blood type compatibility before he adds in what he already knows about both of them. “If either of you had been the donor, well... let’s just say I probably wouldn’t be standing right about now. I’m A-.” </p><p>“Yeah...” Kate shrugs, obviously happy that she and Will hadn’t taken the chance. “But you didn’t die!” </p><p>“True, true. You are still standing.” Will adds unhelpfully. Then, “Unlike everything else in the house.” </p><p>Once again they’re all looking around helplessly. Jason can feel the pain meds wearing off quicker and quicker now, all he really wants to do it lie down and rest, which is a lot easier when there is a couch or chair or bed in one piece nearby. </p><p>—<br/>When Kate notices Jason’s pain, she is quick to make a suggestion. “We could go back to the office.” She tries. Will gives her a hopeful look, up until Jason actually responds. </p><p>“And do what? It’s just as much of a mess, and that’s assuming Bruce didn’t also go back there while we were Pops’s.” It’s verging in snappy, something that only happens when Jason is trying his hardest to hide how much pain he is truly in. </p><p>“He makes a good point,” Will, what a traitor! “Plus, we’ll have to clean up at some point. I’d suggest a safehouse but I don’t think we have any left after what’s been going on.” It’s strange, thinking about the gang again after taking so much ‘personal time’. For a second, she struggles to remember what they had been working on beforehand. Some sort of shipment, something for a rival gang. Weapons, yeah. </p><p>One of the local gangs had bought a shipment of heavy weapons from abroad. They had been working on finding it when... everything else happened. In the weeks before that, their safe houses had been compromised by a mole working as a records keeper. It was wall coming back to her now. The only reason she could remember was because of the rush she had gotten upon getting the mole’s name before Will. He always beat her at that deduction-y type of stuff. Well, that and how fun it had been to put the traitorous snitch down for good. That had been a good day. </p><p>Oh yeah, Jason was in pain. That was the current problem. Jason was in pain, and there was nowhere for any of them to sleep, definitely a problem. They should probably start cleaning, she thinks. “But I don’t really wanna work right now. What if we just,” they’re both looking at her expectingly, “put a bunch of pillows and blankets together and slept on that.” </p><p>—<br/>It’s not the weirdest idea Will had ever heard, not the best either. But it could work. “Yeah, I guess so.” He agrees. When he looks back at Kate, she’s nowhere to be seen. </p><p>In the next moment, she’s back with her arms filled with the pillows and blankets she had gotten from her room alone. She walked out of the hall before plopping them into a large pile in the kitchen, the only room that didn’t have residual shards of glass on the floor from windows or pictures. She walks back out a moment later, returning again with everything soft she had found in his room, then Jason’s, then the main room. </p><p>When she’s finally done, it’s all in a shapeless heap on the floor, nothing they could really sleep (or even sit) on. Kate gets down on her knees by the pile, sorting it into different sections. “You two are just gonna stand there, aren’t you?” She says without even looking at them. </p><p>“Yep.” </p><p>“Yeah.” </p><p>“Alright, thanks,” Kate responds sarcastically while the large mass finally starts to flatten into more of a disc shape. Another minute and she’s wrapping it together tightly with some of the blankets, tucking them underneath the pillows to keep them stuck. </p><p>When she’s done, all that’s left outside is a few blankets and pillows, just enough to actually sleep with. “It looks good, Kate.” Jason praises. “Now, go brush your teeth and bring me some Tylenol from the drug cabinet. I have to finish up something real quick.” </p><p>There are two sighs from down the hall, followed by Kate’s exaggerated, “yes, mother!” After that, silence falls over them once again. </p><p>It takes him less than a second to type out a text to the unsaved number already on his phone. A simple ‘thanks’ before he’s powering off the device for the night. </p><p>—<br/>Tim gets the text after he’s long since retired to his room, not to sleep, just to be alone for a bit. The light from the screen beside his monitor grabs his attention. There’s just one text: ‘thanks’. He instantly knows who must’ve sent it. </p><p>—<br/>“Kate, there’s barely enough room for the three of us; you can’t bring a stuffed animal with you.” <br/>~<br/>“Will, get your feet off of my leg!”<br/>~<br/>“Jason, move, you’re crushing me over here.” <br/>~<br/>“Did you just bite me, Kate?”</p><p>“Your hand was too close to my mouth. So, yeah.” <br/>~<br/>“Will, get off your phone and actually go to sleep.” <br/>~<br/>“Jason, please move. You’re on top of me again!”</p><p>“I can’t, if I go any further I’ll push Kate off the bed entirely.”</p><p>“Do it anyways, it’ll be funny.”<br/>~<br/>“Who just pushed me?”</p><p>“It was Jason.”</p><p>“Will did it.”<br/>~</p><p>It takes an hour, but, finally, all three of them settle into comfortable enough positions, using each other as pillows, to fall asleep. For just a moment, the world seems to quiet down around them. Finally, a moment to rest. </p><p>It can’t possibly last long.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed this issue of the series! Be sure to subscribe to the series itself to know when the next one pops up! That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed ~&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Alright! Let’s Gooooooooooo! We’re getting some Kate and Will backstory now! I hope you enjoyed ~&lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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